Senate GOP clears hurdle to launch SAVE Act talkathon

Stephen Neukam

Senate Majority Leader John Thune talks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 12. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted to launch debate on the SAVE America Act, but Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is well short of the 60 votes needed for passage.

Why it matters: President Trump is trying to strong-arm Senate Republicans into passing the sweeping measure — which would require proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote — before the November midterms.

Lawmakers voted 51-48 on Tuesday to move the SAVE America Act past a procedural hurdle. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican who voted against advancing the bill.
No Democrats voted to advance the legislation.

The big picture: Tuesday's vote is part of Thune's plan to try to let off some of the MAGA steam over an issue Trump and his supporters say is central to democracy.

Thune, under intense pressure from the president and his allies, is eyeing an open-ended debate on the bill that could run on the Senate floor for over a week.

Yes, but: Thune does not have the votes to change Senate filibuster rules and lower the threshold for the bill's passage to a simple majority as MAGA World is demanding.

The other side: Democrats have blasted the legislation, arguing it would disenfranchise voters and make it "easier to steal an election."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference Tuesday that the bill is "designed to make it harder to vote and easier to steal an election."
"MAGA Republicans are trying to rig democracy and disenfranchise American citizens," Schumer said.

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Senate GOP clears hurdle to launch SAVE Act talkathon

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